Apparatus for applying putty

ABSTRACT

Hand-held troweling tool for applying putty to a workpiece, including a handle and a head assembly secured to the handle which has a cavity therein opening to the bottom of the tool. One end of a compressible tube through which putty may be supplied to the cavity opens into the cavity. A movable clamp member adjacent the cavity is yieldably biased against a side of the tube to compress it to stem the flow of putty therethrough to the cavity. A trigger lever on the handle is operable to remove the biasing force to permit putty flow. A strike off plate in the head assembly adjacent the cavity produces a desired surface contour to putty dispensed through the cavity onto a workpiece.

0 United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,775,016 Adams Nov. 27, 1973 APPARATUS FOR APPLYING PUTTY Primary Examiner-Lawrence Charles [76] Inventor: John R. Adams, late of Sutherlin, Attorney-M Hartwell Oreg. by United States National Bank of Oregon, executor ABSTRACT 22 Fil d; No 2 7 Hand-held traweling tool for applying putty to a workpiece, including a handle and a head assembly secured [2i] Appl. No.: 202,968 to the handle which has a cavity therein opening to the bottom of the too]. One end of a compressible 52] us. c1. 401/263, 401/188 tube through which P y y be pp to the 51 1m. (:1 A47] 13/30 ity Opens into the cavity- A movable clamp member 58 Field of Search 401/188, 263; adjacent the cavity is yieldably biased against a side of 239/414 the tube to compress it to stem the flow of putty therethrough to the cavity. A trigger lever on the handle is 5 References Cied operable to remove the biasing force to permit putty UNITED STATES PATENTS flow. A strike off plate in the head assembly adjacent the cavity produces a desired surface contour to putty lrlllznrsard 401/188 i pe d through the i y Onto a workpiece.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures APPARATUS FOR APPLYING PUTTY This invention relates to a hand-operated troweling tool for applying putty and like flowable material to a surface. A specific example where such apparatus may be employed is in the production of plywood panels, wherein sheets of veneer in a panel may contain voids, such as cracks or knotholes, which are filled with putty to produce a flat surface.

In the past various types of devices have been devised for applying putty-like materials to a surface. Many of such devices are somewhat deficient in that they do not provide accurate and close control of the dispensing of the material being applied. As a consequence, putty often is wasted and problems of cleanup are introduced. If putty is not instantly dispensed upon command, time may be wasted and an operator becomes frustrated at trying to quickly apply a smooth coating.

A general object of this invention is to provide a novel putty applicator of the type that can be manipulated by hand which is readily usable in the application of a putty coating to fill a crack or other void, with the operator having close control of the dispensing of the putty material needed in a particular filling operation.

Another object is to. provide such a device which is relatively simple and reliable.

Another object is to provide a putty applicator where the control of the dispensing of putty is directly adjacent where such is applied to the surface.

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide such a device which provides for the collection of a small mass of putty material immediately adjacent the strike off blade in the device which is continuously replenished as material is applied and contoured by such strike off blade.

These and other objects and advantages will become more fully apparent as the following description is read in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of apparatus constructed according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation view of the apparatus of FIG. I as seen from the right side of FIG. 1 with a portion broken away;

FIG. 3 is a view taken generally along the line 3-3 in FIG. 2 with a portion broken away;

FIG. 4 is a view taken generally along the line 4-4 in FIG. 1 with a portion broken away; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the line 5-5 in FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, and first more specifically to FIG. 1, at is indicated generally a troweling tool, or apparatus according to the invention. The apparatus includes a handle, or hand grip portion, 14, an elongated shank portion 16 extending outwardly at a substantial angle from the lower end of hand grip l4, and a head assembly including an enlarged block 18integral with the end of shank portion 16.

Hand grip 14 has a width which is comfortabl gripped by an operator's hand. Block 18 includes a base portion 18a having a width which is substantially greater than the width of hand grip l4, and a narrower upper portion 18b.

Upper portion 18b has a recess 20 formed therein directly above base portion 18a. The recess extends transversely of one side of upper portion 18b. An elongated bore 22 of substantially rectangular cross section extends through upper portion 18b along a line substantially paralleling the longitudinal axis of shank 16 and intersects recess 20.

A cavity 24 is formed in the undersurface of base portion 18a. As is seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the cavity is elongated and extends substantially transversely of the longitudinal axis of shank 16.

The head assembly further includes a base or guide plate 26 having a substantially planar lower surface 26a which is secured to the underside of base portion 18a by countersunk screws 28. The base plate bounds one side of cavity 24.

An elongated plate 32, also referred to herein as a striking or strike off member, is secured to an upright side of base portion 18a by screws 34. The lower or strike off edge of plate 32 occupies a common plane with lower surface 26a of base plate 26 and bounds another side of cavity 24. As is best seen in FIG. 4, an edge portion 26b of the base plate is spaced from plate 32 to provide an opening for cavity 24 through a side of the base plate which faces away from hand grip 14. This opening substantially parallels the strike off plate A bore 38 extends vertically through block 18, intersecting recess 20 and cavity 24. An end portion of an elongated, compressible, elastomeric tube 42 extends downwardly through bore 38. The tube is positioned in the bore with its lowermost end 42a opening into cavity 24 and a portion of the hose extending across recess 20. The tube is maintained in its proper position relative to the head by a screw-type lock fitting 44. Tube 42 is adapted to be connected at its other end to a source of putty under pressure, whereby such material may be carried through the tube from the source to cavity 24.

Control means for controlling the flow of putty throtigh the tube to the cavity is indicated generally at 50. Control means 50 includes a backing member 54 which is substantially U-shaped when viewed from above, as seen in FIG. 3. The backing member includes a pair of laterally spaced, substantially parallel legs 54a, 54b, and an elongated cross member 540 extending between one set of ends of the legs. Leg 54a has a bore extending horizontally therethrough adjacent one of its ends adapted to receive a pin 56 secured to and projecting laterally outwardly from a side of upper portion 18b of the block. Leg 54b has a bore 58 extending vertically therethrough. With the backing member in its operative position, as seen in the illustrations, bore 58 is aligned vertically with a vertical bore in an ear 62 which projects outwardly from upper portion 18b of the block and a bore 64 in base portion 18a. Bores 58, 64 when aligned are adapted to receive a removable securing pin 66 therethrough. Pins 56, 66 serve to hold the backing member in position with cross member 54c extending substantially horizontally across recess 20 and bearing against a side of tube 42 where such extends through the recess. The backing member may be removed merely by removing pin 66 and slipping leg 54a off of pin 56.

The control means further includes a shiftable clamping member 70 which is slidably received in bore 22. The clamp member has a rounded base portion 70a which is adapted to bear against the side of tube 42 opposite cross member 540, as is best seen in FIG. 5.

An elongated control, or trigger, lever 74 having a pair of laterally spaced legs 74a, 74b adjacent one of its ends, forms another part of the control means. The lever is pivotally connected to shank 16 by a pin 76 which extends transversely through the shank and through legs 74a, 74b. A compression spring 78 extending between hand grip 14 and the upper end of lever 74 yieldably biases the upper end of the control lever to the right in FIG. 1, away from the hand grip. An intermediate portion of lever 74 engages the left end of clamp member 70 as seen in FIGS. 1 and 5, and yieldably urges the clamp member toward tube 42, whereby it bears against the tube to compress the same and stem the flow of putty therethrough (see FIGS. 1, 3, and 5).

The control lever may be drawn by an operator toward hand grip 14 against the force of spring 78. This frees clamp member 70, whereby the pressure of putty within tube 42 may expand the sides of the tube and force the clamp member to the left in FIGS. 1 and 5. Putty then may flow through the tube to cavity 24.

Describing now the operation of the tool for use in filling a knothole 84 in a sheet of plywood 86 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tool first is positioned relative to the sheet so that surface 26a of base plate 26 rests atop the sheet. Control lever 74 initially is released, whereby clamp member 70 bears against tube 42 to compress it and stem the flow of putty therethrough. The tool is positioned relative to the sheet and the knothole as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, with the opening from cavity 24 adjacent the right edge of the knothole as viewed in FIG. 1, and in a position to straddle the knothole as viewed in FIG. 2. The tool then may be moved to the left in FIG. 1 with pulling of the tool with the opening from cavity 24 passing over the knothole.

As the tool is moved over the knothole, control lever 74 is drawn toward hand grip 14 to open tube 42 and allow putty to flow therethrough to cavity 24. Putty supplied to the cavity flows out through the opening in the base plate and into the hole. As the tool is moved to the left, strike off plate 32 produces a desired surface contour for the putty patch which is substantially within the plane of the upper face of the plywood panel. It should be obvious that different configurations of strike off plates may be used to produce other surface contours. As the tool is shifted to a point adjacent the left edge of the knothole, lever 74 is released, whereby spring 78 shifts it and clamp member 70 to the right and against tube 42 to stem the flow of putty therethrough.

Since the clamp member is disposed in the tool closely adjacent the base from which putty is dispensed onto the workpiece, effective control of putty is maintained, with a minimum amount of oozing occurring after the lever is released.

While an embodiment of the invention has been described herein, it should be obvious to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

It is claimed:

1. A hand-operated troweling tool for applying putty and like flowable material to a workpiece comprising a head assembly adapted to be slid over the workpiece including at the base thereof a substantially flat guide plate portion and a strike off plate having a lower strike off edge substantially in the plane of said guide plate portion, said guide plate portion and strike off plate between them defining an elongate cavity opening to the bottom of said head assembly which opening substantially parallels said strike off edge,

a substantially upright handle secured to said head assembly and projecting upwardly therefrom in a direction away from said guide plate portion by which the tool may be held and through which force may be exerted to press the guide plate portion of the head assembly tightly against a workpiece,

a compressible tube communicating with said cavity through which putty may be supplied under pressure to the cavity from a source remote from said base, and

control means for controlling the flow of putty through said tube including a movable clamp element adjacent said cavity shiftable to bear against said tube to compress the same and an upright trigger lever extending along a side of the handle for actuating said clamp element.

2. The troweling tool of claim 1, wherein said handle is positioned in advance of said head assembly when pulling the tool in a pass over the workpiece, and wherein said tube extends outwardly from said head assembly at the top of the head assembly in a position which trails the handle during such a pass. 

1. A hand-operated troweling tool for applying putty and like flowable material to a workpiece comprising a head assembly adapted to be slid over the workpiece including at the base thereof a substantially flat guide plate portion and a strike off plate having a lower strike off edge substantially in the plane of said guide plate portion, said guide plate portion and strike off plate between them defining an elongate cavity opening to the bottom of said head assembly which opening substantially parallels said strike off edge, a substantially upright handle secured to said head assembly and projecting upwardly therefrom in a direction away from said guide plate portion by which the tool may be held and through which force may be exerted to press the guide plate portion of the head assembly tightly against a workpiece, a compressible tube communicating with said cavity through which putty may be supplied under pressure to the cavity from a source remote from said base, and control means for controlling the flow of putty through said tube including a movable clamp element adjacent said cavity shiftable to bear against said tube to compress the same and an upright trigger lever extending along a side of the handle for actuating said clamp element.
 2. The troweling tool of claim 1, wherein said handle is positioned in advance of said head assembly when pulling the tool in a pass over the workpiece, and wherein said tube extends outwardly from said head assembly at the top of the head assembly in a position which trails the handle during such a pass. 